Dubbed by some locals as “a warning from the deep,” a powerful earthquake jolted Alaska’s coast just days after a classified military exercise took place nearby, sparking questions about whether this was a natural event—or something more.
As evacuation sirens blared and thousands scrambled to higher ground, uncertainty rippled through the coastal communities alongside the ocean waves.
On Wednesday, panic swept across coastal Alaska when a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck offshore, triggering urgent tsunami warnings and prompting mass evacuations.
Residents rushed to safety as warning sirens wailed and emergency alerts flooded phones across the region.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) pinpointed the quake’s epicenter beneath the Pacific Ocean southeast of Sand Point, near the Shumagin Islands and just south of the Alaska Peninsula, at 12:38 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET).
Emergency officials issued tsunami warnings stretching from Kennedy Entrance near Homer all the way to Unimak Pass close to Unalaska, urging immediate evacuation.
“There was bumper-to-bumper traffic, everyone trying to get off the spit,” recalled Homer Mayor Rachel Lord, describing the frantic exodus. Authorities also warned of possible tsunami waves hitting the eastern Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, and Kodiak Island first.
Dramatic footage showed shorelines mysteriously pulled bare as the ocean receded—a classic harbinger of an impending tsunami.
NOAA’s tsunami warning coordinator David Snider confirmed that a tsunami was indeed generated by the quake, though the sea-level rise was minor, measuring about three inches. Still, the initial warning caused widespread alarm.
Within 90 minutes, the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center downgraded the alert from a full warning to an advisory and fully canceled it by 12:45 p.m. local time (6:45 p.m. ET). Despite this, officials urged residents to remain cautious for at least 24 hours due to possible residual wave activity.
Shelters opened in towns like Kodiak and Homer, providing refuge to those evacuated. One Seward resident, newly returned to Alaska after 25 years away, shared a tense evacuation video online, nervously pleading, “Just pray we don’t get waved.”
The Alaska Earthquake Center reported more than 20 aftershocks following the main event, the strongest registering magnitude 5.2. Seismologist Michael West reminded the public, “Alaska is the most seismically active region in the U.S., responsible for four out of every five quakes nationwide. While frequent, quakes of this magnitude are rarer—today, we were fortunate.”
The National Weather Service confirmed no tsunami risk for the lower 48 states, including Oregon and Washington.
The advisory initially covered nearly 700 miles of coastline, from Unimak Pass near the Aleutians to 40 miles southwest of Homer. Kodiak, home to roughly 5,200 people, was among the largest communities affected.
In King Cove, a small town of about 870 residents on the southern Alaska Peninsula, officials urged immediate evacuation for those in low-lying areas.
The last quake of similar strength occurred on June 10, 1996, a magnitude 7.2 near the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutian chain.
Alaska’s deadliest earthquake remains the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake—a massive magnitude 9.2 event near Prince William Sound. That historic quake was felt as far as Seattle and triggered devastating tsunamis that affected Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, and even Japan.
As the immediate tsunami danger passes, Alaskans are cautiously returning home—grateful but still watchful. The rapid response from emergency officials and the community’s preparedness helped prevent catastrophe. Yet, the quake serves as a stark reminder of Alaska’s volatile seismic activity and the ever-present risks faced by those living along its restless shores.